Abbie Bahnemann of St. Paul, Minn., says her paintings reflect her strong connection to the natural world. / Submitted photo

Written by

Camille Dautrich

FOR THE NEWS-LEADER

They come from north, east, west and, well, from Springfield. The four directions in the title of the show, however, refer to the artists’ media: painting, pine needles, jewelry and turned wood.

Tomorrow night, “Four Artists: Four Directions” opens at Waverly House Gifts and Gallery with a reception from 5-7:30 p.m. honoring Abbie Bahnemann of St. Paul, Minn.; Peggy Wyman of Macon; Marie Scarpa of Petaluma, Calif.; and Ernest Lorenc of Springfield. John Strickler will be playing jazz guitar for the opening reception.

Every artist says a lot of what he or she has to say through their artwork, and Bahnemann, who paints with both oil and watercolors, wants her work to do the talking.

“The style of the work in this show is strongly impressionistic,” she said. “All my paintings have bold colors, strong composition and reveal my close connection to the natural world. Hopefully, they speak for themselves.”

Wyman, who fashions what she terms “sculptural basketry” from pine needles, spoke about the importance of process in her work and how the act of creation is as much as part of her art as the finished product.

“I love working with natural materials, love the soothing process of sewing the coils together and the scent of the needles as they warm under my fingers,” Wyman said. “I even love the tension that comes with never knowing exactly what is going to happen when I work on a new piece.”

Far from giving up on a piece that doesn’t seem to start out the way she wants it to, Wyman said she lets her work speak to her.

“I have had to learn not to judge a piece until far into the creative process,” she said. “A sculpture that seemed so random and going nowhere after a week’s work usually turns out to be something fulfilling. And, if it doesn’t feel right when the creative conversation stops, I cut it apart and start something new from the remnants.”

The third artist is no stranger to Springfield. Scarpa visits Waverly House twice a year to work with clientele and design unique pieces of jewelry, both with her own or with customers’ gemstones.

(Page 2 of 2)

Drawing on her talents as a fiber artist, she weaves tiny tapestries with fine gauge wire, embellishing them with brightly colored gems. Her specialty is hand woven, one-of-a-kind pieces.

“My hand-woven jewelry pieces are all designed and executed by me, and the two shows I do at Waverly House each year are my favorites,” Scarpa said. “Designing together with a customer is fun and challenging, and the pieces have always been very well received.”

Rounding out the quartet is Lorenc, a retired Springfield dermatologist. At age 84, the artist has had a lot of experience working with wood — “... since my Cub Scout days in the 1930s,” he said. His beautiful wooden vessels have been the subject of this column in years past — he has been engaged in the art of turned wood more than 30 years.

Lorenc learned the basics of woodturning in a 1980 class at MSU, and “from that point on,” he added, “I gradually learned the basics of woodturning and obtained the necessary tools and equipment to become an accomplished woodturner.

“My present work is primarily designed to show vessels of classic design made from beautiful wood.”

Lorenc uses wood from storm-damaged or downed trees, dead trees or those from clearing projects for new construction.

“I thoroughly enjoy designing and producing beautiful artistic pieces from wood that most would consider good only for their fireplace,” he said. “Finding beauty under the bark of a cast-off log is exciting and extremely satisfying.”